1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a draw bar and draw holding device employed with a bow, such as a compound bow, that utilizes the principal of levers to the extent that the archer can hold the draw, employing only a fraction of the effort conventionally required.
2. Background Information
The sport of archery requires the archer to exert a relatively large force during bowstring pull back to draw the bow to a fully tensioned condition for firing an arrow. Compound bows incorporate cams and cables to reduce by 50 to 80 percent the force needed to hold the bow at full draw. However, with compound bows, the bowstring circumscribes eccentric wheels rotatably mounted on the ends of the bow's limbs, and a large force must be applied by the archer's arms during the initial stages of string pull back. Consequently, even after firing just a few shots, muscles fatigue and cramping in the archer's arms and shoulders are often experienced, which leads to inaccuracy and prevents the archer from performing extensive target practice.
Archers and bow hunters have used drawlocks of various types for many years, including the locking mechanisms on centuries-old crossbows. For upright bows, including compound bows, a drawlock has generally been either a fixed rod along which the bowstring is drawn or a moveable rod drawn along with the bowstring. Both types use some sort of latch mechanism to lock the bowstring at full draw and a release mechanism to release the bowstring and propel the arrow. The term “full-draw” is used to mean the aimed draw position for a bow properly matched to the archer, rather than an absolute maximum draw. However, in many states, locking the bowstring at full draw with the bowstring locked in a release mechanism requires the archer to have a cross-bow license in addition to an archery hunting license.
A large number of patents have been granted concerning devices for drawing and releasing a bowstring for an archery bow. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,210,332, Kvistad discloses a mechanical lever fastened between the hand grip portion of a bow and sliding upon the bowstring for drawing the bow into a fully extended position. The device includes a specialized trigger release and arrows.
Irwin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,664,078, describes a bowstring support, which includes a handle for drawing the bowstring and a nocked arrow into a fully drawn position. The bowstring support slides within a channel fastened to the front of the bow and has one or a series of notches so that as the bowstring and nocked arrow are drawn back with the bowstring support by pulling on the handle, the bowstring support falls into one or more of the notches, locking the bowstring in a properly drawn position. The arrow is gripped by a trigger notch within the bowstring support and a finger trigger is provided on the bowstring support for releasing the bowstring and the arrow. It should be noted that the support does not swing out of the way, but is merely mounted to one side of the bowstring and the arrow and remains in position during release.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,016, Kellogg discloses an attachment for a long bow in the form of two fixed parallel rods attached to the hand grip of the bow and extending to a handle behind the position of the cocked bow. The handle includes a trigger and release mechanism for holding the cocked bow and arrow in position and then releasing the bow and arrow.
Fredrickson, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,418, describes an archery bow having telescoping members mounted thereon that extend rearwardly of the bow. On one of the telescoping members is a handhold member used to support a bowstring during the stressing thereof. On the outer member of the two telescoping members is a device that engages the inner telescoping member and holds the inner telescoping member in a rearwardly extended position against the stress of the bowstring. The telescoping members are controlled from the handhold member to release the device that holds the inner telescoping member in a rearwardly extended position.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,621, Kellogg discloses an improved trigger release device for a longbow. A bracket is pivotally mounted on the bow handle and supports a pair of rods having sliding fits in a pair of guide sleeves, so that the rods are parallel with an arrow fitted to the bow on opposite sides of the arrow. A yoke connects the rods in front of the bow handle, and a trigger device connects the rods rearward of the bowstring. The yoke is latched to the bracket near the handle to hold the rods and the trigger device in a full-draw position for trigger release of the arrow. A latch holds the bracket to the handle in an operating position and allows the bracket, rods, and trigger device to be pivoted to the region of one of the bow limbs for easier storage of the device.
Roberts, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,293, describes a bowstring drawback and release device having a T-shaped handle member, with the stem of the T extending forward and connected by a ball and socket joinder to a support for a bowstring catch. The support is in the form of a housing that is open at its forward end and along its bottom. The catch is a lever within and pivoted to the housing intermediate its ends so as to drop open upon release, effected by pulling a resiliently biased trigger that is pivoted within the housing and extends outside for convenient pulling, as by the thumb of the hand of an archer holding the handle. An important feature is the provision of a transversely segmented, longitudinal, composite rod having a laterally confined, rigid, forward end segment that engages a rearwardly shouldered portion of the catch for holding the bowstring in engaged drawback position. A laterally unconfined, rearward end segment of stiffly flexible material is connected to the trigger for accommodating any misalignment of the handle member when the trigger is pulled.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,154, Slayton discloses a bow draw support assembly in which a clevis, attached to a compound archery bow hand grip, supports an extended rod. At the rear end of the rod is a yoke with two notches for supporting a bowstring. An internal spring within the clevis biases the rod to an outward position, and a finger-acting lever attached to the rod, permits the rod to swing in line with the bowstring when the bow is drawn. The bowstring is supported by the notches in the rod. When it is desirable to use the bow, the string is slightly drawn and the internal spring causes the support assembly to swing out of the way of the bowstring, permitting the archer to aim and release.
Brooks, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,035, discloses a bow pressure relief string holder device for a compound archery bow in the form of a first fixed leg mounted above the hand grip portion of the bow, extending to the rear, and a second leg pivotally mounted to the first leg. The joint between the legs is spring-loaded so that the second leg supports the bowstring in a cocked position, but, when the bowstring is pulled back further, the second leg pivots away, out of the line of the bowstring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,730, Kluver discloses a bowstring prop for archery bows comprising an elongated, rigid member having an inner end adapted to frictionally engage the handle portion of the bow and an outer end adapted to engage the bowstring to hold the string in a drawn condition. The bow may be tensioned by use of the archer's foot and leg muscles with relatively little effort by the user. Once the bowstring is fully drawn, the bow prop is interposed and retained between the bow and the bowstring, retaining the bowstring under tension and the bow flexed. The bow is aimed and fired in the usual manner, and drawing the bowstring slightly further back allows the prop to fall to the ground, and the arrow is released in the normal manner.
Sheffield, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,308, describes an archery bow with a tubular sight with internal distance adjustment, a bowstring handle with a trigger-release and a hand anchor for holding the bowstring until released. An arrow-centering indentation with resilient centering means is provided at the opposite side of the bow from a bow handle, extended in a manner that the bow can be held horizontally like a crossbow for greater stability, convenience and ease of operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,908 by Larson describes a hold-back system for an archery bow having an overdraw structure that includes a spring-biased arm. The arm may be positioned to intercept the bowstring when partially drawn and hold it in that position. When the bowstring is further drawn to fire the arrow, the arm automatically retracts away from the bowstring. The hold-back device is adjustably attachable to an existing cable guard or to a separate mounting rod.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,138, Grover discloses an apparatus for drawing a bow including a hand graspable, bowstring gripping member for detachably gripping and rearwardly drawing the bowstring to flex the bow to a drawn condition and for releasing the bowstring to propel an arrow. An elongated draw bar is mounted on the hand graspable member, and a guide member is mounted on the bow for slidably receiving and guiding the draw bar for movement in a to-and-for reciprocal path of travel relative to the bow between an inoperative position and a rearward bowstring drawing position. A lock member detachably holds the draw bar in the rearward bowstring drawing position and includes a stop member movable between a holding position forward of and in the path of the forward end of the draw bar when the draw bar is in the drawn position, and a draw bar releasing position, which is removed from the path of travel.
Perkins, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,654, describes a bowstring stabilizer bar, telescopically carried by a bracket attached to a bow. The bar carries, at its end remote from the bow, a bowstring clamp and handle assembly and a flexible element, whose length is adjustable. The flexible element limits the extent to suit an individual archer to which the bar can be telescopically extended and, hence, the extent to which the bowstring can be retracted preparatory to shooting an arrow. The stabilizer bar restrains the bow and bowstring to move in a relatively fixed plane each time the string is retracted for shooting an arrow, thereby vastly increasing the accuracy of the archer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,705, Baeseman discloses a pre-cocking assembly for an archery bow that includes an elongated rod, pivotally attached at one end to the riser of a bow. A spring-biased head member is rotatably mounted on the other end of the rod, and a spring-biased bowstring retaining member is attached to the head member. The retaining member is positioned to intercept the bowstring, when the bowstring is partially drawn, and hold it in that position. When the bowstring is further drawn to fire the arrow, the head member rotates to reposition the bowstring retaining member to a retracted position.
Creel, Sr., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,830, describes a support for a cocked bow, mounted to the bow handle, and provides a rod for supporting the bowstring in a fully cocked position. The device is spring biased to engage the drawn string. A finger-operated handle, positioned in front of the bow handle, permits smooth controlled movement of the rod away from engagement with the bowstring. The rod pivots about a split bearing mounted along a vertical line, effectively preventing vertical motion or vibration of the rod. The mounting of the device directly couples sheer forces from the drawn bowstring into the handle, providing a strong mount.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,524, Pullin discloses an archery bow tensioning device for holding a bowstring in a fully drawn position. One end of a rod is freely received in and releasable from a blind bore provided in the bow handle, and the opposite end of the rod is provided with a trigger mechanism having a safety catch. The trigger mechanism is T-shaped with a release peg that is operated by the user's thumb.
Goff et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,004, describe a combination stabilizer/drawlock device for use with an overdraw arrow rest in archery and bow hunting. The stabilizer/drawlock device includes an elongated mounting bracket having near its forward end a bolt slot for attaching the bracket to an archery bow's handle. Intermediate the forward and rearward ends of the bracket is a support for an overdraw arrow rest that permits the arrow rest to be positioned at a selectable distance to the rear of the bow's handle. The device further includes a draw tube attached to the rearward end of the mounting bracket and a draw rod in telescoping engagement with the draw tube. The draw tube can be attached to the bow at a selectable angle or permitted to pivot freely to align with the axis of the arrow between the nock point and the arrow rest after vertical adjustment to a tuned nocking point. The back end of the draw rod supports a bowstring mechanical release. A latching device locks and holds the draw rod at a full draw position when the bowstring is drawn beyond the full draw position. The drawlock latch may be removed and replaced by an interchangeable plate, which acts as a stabilizer but which does not include the spring lever, pivot point and stop pin. The stabilizer plate is used to accommodate state hunting and sport regulations, which may not permit the use of a drawlock mechanism. In both plate configurations, the device uses the draw rod as a stabilizer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,440, Grindle discloses a brace for an archery bow, which safely keeps the bow in a cocked position for an extended period of time without fatigue. The brace has a front leg, a middle leg, and a rear leg. In the cocked position, the brace legs are selectively prevented from pivoting longitudinally by first and second pivot stops. The coordination of the relative angles between the front, middle and rear brace legs provides the brace with stability to withstand the tension of shooting an arrow.
Goff et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,532, describe an archery bow with a drawlock device for use with an overdraw arrow rest. The device includes an elongated mounting bracket, attached at its forward end to the bow's handle, and having intermediate its forward and rearward ends, an overdraw arrow rest. The device further includes a draw tube attached to the rearward end of the mounting bracket and a draw rod in telescoping engagement with the draw tube. In a preferred embodiment, the draw tube can be attached to the mounting bracket at a selectable angle to align with the axis of the arrow between the nock point and arrow rest after vertical adjustment to a tuned nocking point. The back end of the draw rod supports a bowstring mechanical release. A latching device locks the draw rod at a full draw position when the bowstring is drawn beyond the full draw position.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,210, Chamberlain discloses a compound bow with a stabilizing pin affixed to the base of the sight window of the bow at an angle less than 90 degrees with reference to the horizontal lie of the base of the sight window. A porous arrow includes a through hole in proximity to the tip of the arrow. The arrow is placed on the bow rest and engaged and held statically by the stabilizing pin upon near full extension by an archer of the bowstring of the bow.
Groover et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,113, describe a mechanism for assisting an archer in drawing back a bowstring. The bowstring draw assist mechanism includes two interactive components. The first component, a support frame in the form of cable guards and a cross bar, is affixed to the bow, and the second component, a gauntlet, is worn by an archer. The first and second components engage one another and utilize compressed gas to pressurize a cylinder, assisting an archer in drawing the bowstring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,240, Hurd discloses an arrow launching apparatus for attachment to a bow handle that includes a launcher-to-bow-handle attachment assembly connected to the bow handle. A launcher assembly is connected to the launcher-to-bow-handle attachment assembly. The launcher assembly includes a guide member assembly and a carriage block supported on the guide member assembly, and the carriage block rides along the guide member assembly. The carriage block includes a bow-string-reception channel for receiving a bowstring. The carriage block hold and release assembly is supported on the guide member assembly and provides for selectively preventing or permitting travel of the carriage block along the guide member assembly. Use of the apparatus permits a user to use both hands when aiming and shooting an arrow. The apparatus also permits use of shorter-than-conventional-length arrows.
Kees, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,968,836, describes a drawlock device employed with a bow, such as a compound bow, that provides for drawing and locking the bowstring at the let-off point, then drawing the bowstring a short distance at which point the lock disengages the bowstring, simultaneously firing the arrow nocked on the bowstring.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,299,795, Brannen discloses a device for transferring the drawn weight of a bowstring from a user's bowstring gripping hand to a user's bow gripping hand. The device includes a shaft and a means for releasably connecting the bowstring to the device, such as a trigger release. The device also includes a transfer grip, which has a gripping portion configured to be grasped by the user's bow gripping hand together with the bow grip when the user draws the device and bowstring to the drawn position. In the preferred embodiment, a handle is used on one end of the shaft, and the trigger release is attached to the handle so that the user can use their bowstring gripping hand to draw the device together with the bowstring to the drawn position and then actuate the release of the bowstring using the trigger of the trigger release. A receiver is also provided for receiving the shaft of the device when the device is drawn from the undrawn position to the drawn position.
None of these patents provide a drawlock system in which the draw bar and bowstring holder are locked only by the hands of the archer. Consequently, applicants have invented a drawlock device in which the bowstring is released by the archer when firing an arrow. The drawlock device of the present invention functions in alignment with the arrow's path. In addition, the drawlock device is adjustable to fit users with different size hands.
Applicants have devised a draw bar and draw holding device that utilizes the principal of levers such that the archer can hold the draw, employing only a fraction of the effort normally required.